Cleopatra Selene, Fighter & Survivor
by Melodee Kai-Luna
Summary: Princess Selene is taken to Rome as a prisoner of war by Octavian. She must survive her new life without laying down her identity, morality, & personal strength. What happens as she tests Octavian & his guards? What about the Red Eagle - the mysterious man she's vowed to marry? Can the Princess of Egypt fight through her Roman chains?
1. Preface

This is a fan-fiction inspired by the novel '_Cleopatra's Daughter_' by Michelle Moran. The characters are historical figures, as well as some invented beings from Michelle Morans' book.

The only name that has been changed is _Juba II_ - becoming **Kovu**. As a personal preference, the name _Juba_ has never appealed to me. This being a fan-fiction, I allow myself creative license on whatever I choose.


	2. Chapter 1

Flashback

_Alexander, Ptolemy & I were circled around one-another on the floor of our hiding chamber, playing a game of dice & trying not to think about the pending invasion of our country. Our mother & her servants were in the next room (large wooden doors, easily weighing tons, separated us) as they attempted to plan the next moves of the withering rebellion from inside our glamorous prison. Queen Kleopatra VII wasn't the type of women to give in without a fight. She was a warrior, doing anything in her power to protect our family & Egypt. I had always admired her strength & cunning - I hoped that, should I live long enough, I'd inherit those traits & make her proud._  
_Our sorrow from the loss of our father merely hours before still evident on our faces, we continued in our game. None of us were paying any attention, yet we were still capable of rolling the dice; pretending._

_The silence was finally broken by screams a great distance away. Ocatavian & his army had arrived on the shores of Eqypt at last. Mother had swept into our room, a livid yet determined expression upon her face as she demanded we stand up straight, kicking the dice & pillows to the side. We were Egyptian royalty after all, & even in peril, we must conduct ourselves as such. Ptolemy began to shake behind Alexander, whimpering as the screams of our people became louder. Queen Kleopatra & her two servants, Iras & Charmion, were cleaning up the room, making it look more presentable. Life was a stage in Egypt - especially with mother. Everything was planned, & nothing could be left to chance. Our Gods could have abandoned us at any moment & she would have to know how to play the scene. I felt numb, yet life must continue on as though no loses have befallen on us._

_The enemy was getting nearer to our hiding place. Mother was speaking of our behavior when Octavian should walk through the large wooden doors. Alexander, Ptolemy & I were to keep our composure, show no fear, & be strong in the face of death, should it come that night._

_We could hear talking from the other side of the doors. A Roman soldiers voice rang out, 'It is time to surrender, Your Majesty. Your people are already showing favor to Caesar Octavian. There is nothing left to fight for.'_  
_My mother was taken aback by the news that her citizens had changed sides so quickly. It took her a few seconds before replying to him. 'I shall surrender when Octavian has promised to allow Alexander & Selene to rule over the kingdom of Egypt. They are the rightful heirs to the throne.'_  
_I held my breath for the reply. It seemed highly unlikely that this Roman intruder would give in to such demands, seeing as he was in a position of power over us. We were trapped, & glancing sideways to Alexander, told me that he had been thinking the same thing. As twins, our shared thoughts were no surprise, yet it was a comfort to still have these moments when death could have come at any moment._  
_The Roman man replied, 'Octavian will not agree to that. If you do not come out peacefully, we will have to force you out.' Before any of us could understand the meaning of those words, loud banging came from the other side of the doors. The Romans were using a battering ram to force in the barrier. Ptolemy trembled worse with every knock. The large oak doors were breaking away, pieces of wood were flying all over the tile floors._  
_Finally, it was hit open, & Roman men were filing inside the room. Our mother was in front of us, standing tall - no fear escaping her face. We, her children, standing behind her & Iras & Charmion together against the wall behind us._

_The Roman man spoke to Queen Kleopatra. 'We will be taking you to the palace. Caesar will be wanting to speak with you before addressing the people of Egypt.'_  
_'Who are you?' my mother demanded._  
_'I am Agrippa, commander in chief of Octavians fleet.'_  
_Our mother began her act at once. She was offering him her treasures, as well as a part of her kingdom. I noticed the sly flirtatious tones in her voice. I admired this of her, too. It was no surprise to me that she was taking this approach. She loved our father, the great Marc Antony, & acting was her way of assuring our safety. Unfortunately, Agrippa wasn't an old fool. He knew of her history with Caesar, along with how she met our father. Romans have slandered her name across their country as a whore, because they couldn't bare to see strong, independent women fighting in the one way they knew how - through the heart._  
_A man behind Agrippa spoke next. He was closer to my age, perhaps 18 or 19 years old, with long curling black hair, dark skin & a muscular frame. 'He will not fall for your tricks, the way other Romans have done. Agrippa would never betray Caesar. He has everything he needs, why would he want anything to do with an Egyptian whore?'_  
_'She is desperate & seems to understand the magnitude of the situation, that's why she's grasping to any hope she has left that she could win her country back.' Agrippa replied, now looking over in our direction. His eyes widened, 'Ah ... the heirs of Egypt.'_  
_The soldiers all peered towards us as well, apparently seeing us for the first time. One older solder, in his late 30s it seemed, regarded me for a moment before stepping forward. 'The princess has turned into a beautiful young lady,' there was something creepy in his voice, 'the right age for marriage.'_  
_My hair is long, curly dark brown & reaches my waist. My eyes are almond shaped & the color of the ocean, while my lips are full & painted a rose color. My skin is a rich caramel color, & I have a slender, yet curvaceous frame. I had decided to wear my favorite pair of gold earrings, along with a gold armlet, & a simple deep red gown which highlights my best features._  
_This man walked closer, never taking his eyes off of me. I was determined to stare back, showing no fear (as mother had taught us) though I was feeling much less confident on the inside. Alexander made to step in front of me, but I had sternly cast him aside with my arm. The Roman grinned, having slowly brought his hand up to touch my face. Within seconds, he was on the floor, clutching his face & yelling in pain. I had taken a dagger hidden inside my dress & slashed his eye with it. There was blood pouring out from between his fingers._  
_The other Roman soldiers went for their swords, but Agrippa cast his hand out to stop them from striking. He considered me for a moment, then spoke, 'A teenage girl has been taught to defend herself? And with such speed & precision..' He wasn't angry, yet continued to look at me with curiosity._  
_For the first time, I spoke (in Latin, the language of the Romans), 'It seems so. Women are treated like men, here in Egypt. We are not cast aside as worthless beings, as they do in Rome.'_  
_A smirk crossed Agrippas' face. I knew that he'd be impressed that I could speak their language fluently, though with a slight accent. As with our mother, we had been taught many things & I knew several languages. We are Egyptian, yet Greek by birth & spoke Greek as our primary language._  
_Queen Kleopatra held her head high, 'We have taught our children well. Selene was given a mans education with her brothers, & can do many things your army wouldn't dream of.'_  
_The long-haired soldier kept his eyes on me, studying me very closely. Agrippa spoke again, 'I see. It seems that there us much to learn about your family. Octavian will be intrigued.' He looked sideways at the soldier, 'Kovu, stay here as I-'_  
_'Kovu?' My mother had the look of pure loathing upon her face. Her eyes had narrowed into slits & her words carried so much malice I was surprised he hadn't recoiled in terror, the way we had done as children when something angered her. Alexander chanced a look at me, puzzled. I, too, didn't understand. We had never heard of any Kovu, yet our mother seemed to know quite a bit about him. She continued, 'Your mother was a Greek, & your father lost his kingdom to Julius Caesar. And now look.' He was wearing a leather cuirass & had a double-edged sword. 'You've become a Roman. How proud that would have made them.'_  
_Kovu clenched his fists & set his jaw. I couldn't tell who hated each other most, as they were both looking as though to kill. 'If I were you' he said, 'I'd save my speeches for Octavian'._  
_At this, my mother prompted, 'Yes, & where is the mighty conqueror of queens?'_  
_'Perhaps he is settling into his new palace.' Kovu taunted._

_We had been held captive in a room within our palace for a few hours. Our mother had spoken to Octavian in a separate place, about the burial place for our father, as well as the death of two of our oldest brothers. It was difficult to grieve all of these loses in one evening._  
_Octavian had wanted to visit Alexander the Greats' tomb, in which case my brothers & I were forced to attend. Reasons unknown to us at the time, mother had demanded we leave her & join the procession. She remained behind with Iras & Charmion, perhaps thinking of a new plan to get us out of Egypt until we could build a new army & take on the Romans._

_Nearly two hours after Octavian had visited areas of the palace which has enlightened him, another disaster had struck us. A servant girl by the name of Euphemia had come running to us, yelling that our mother was dying. The memory of the following events come in pieces._  
_Firstly, Agrippa & Octavian had let us run to her side. She had committed suicide by a snake bite, along with her two servants. After all of our crying & pleading to the Gods, there were soldiers hired to find the poisonous snake & kill it. Alexander has asked if she would be buried in the mausoleum with our father & brothers, in which case Octavian agreed. Then Agrippa asked if Octavian was really going to keep us alive, he replied that in a few years, someone may need to be silenced, in which case he'd marry me off._

_Plans to return to Rome were in motion._


End file.
